Soil series profile

Talbott soil series

Talbott is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 651,890 acres in 69 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group C.

#380 by mapped area fine Typic Hapludalfs (Alfisols)

Drainage class
Well drained
>99% of mapped acres
Hydrologic group
C
89% of mapped acres
Typical topsoil pH
5.6
moderately acidic · range 5.6–5.8
Mapped area
652k
acres in 69 counties, 4 states

Typical Talbott profile

Texture and pH by depth

Typical Talbott soil profile by depth 0 in 10 in 20 in 30 in 0–5 in · H1 · pH 5.6 · 26% clay Silt loam 5–30 in · H2 · pH 5.6 · 50% clay Clay 30–40 in · R Bedrock
Depth to scale. More strongly shaded layers hold more clay. Horizon names are the soil survey's (A = topsoil, B = subsoil, C = parent material).
Show as a table
Typical Talbott horizons (representative values)
Depth Texture pH Clay Sand Organic matter
0–5 in (H1) Silt loam 5.6 26% 20% 1.25%
5–30 in (H2) Clay 5.6 50% 22% 0.2%
30–40 in (R) Bedrock Not reported Not reported Not reported Not reported

Representative values from the most extensive Talbott map unit (Talbott silt loam, 5 to 20 percent slopes, eroded, rocky, survey area TN189). Other map units of this series vary within the series range.

Hands holding dark garden soil
Stock photo for illustration, not a sample of this soil series. Credit on the Sources & method page.

What this means

What Talbott soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Talbott soils is moderately acidic: pH 5.6 (most land between 5.6 and 5.8). Many vegetables grow well here, and some gardens benefit from a little lime. Test before adding any.

Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 94% of mapped Talbott acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (69% of mapped Talbott acres).

>99% of mapped Talbott acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.

For lawns and yards

On 97% of mapped acres, rain soaks in slowly (hydrologic groups C and D, including dual groups that are D until drained). Expect runoff and puddles after heavy rain: core-aerate compacted lawns and keep ground sloping away from foundations.

For a septic system

For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 99% of the acres in mapped Talbott soils very limited, <1% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.

Where the soil is very limited (slow permeability, a high water table, flooding, shallow bedrock or steep slopes), alternative systems such as mound or sand-filter designs are common and cost more.

Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.

Generated from the mapped numbers above using fixed rules, not a site visit. See how these notes are written.

Where Talbott soil is found

Mapped acres

Talbott is mapped in Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky and Georgia. The 60 counties with the most Talbott acres:

Counties with the most mapped Talbott soil
County Acres Share of county land
Wilson County, TN 109,871 30.1%
Rutherford County, TN 56,080 14.3%
Bedford County, TN 54,354 17.9%
Marshall County, TN 44,119 18.3%
Logan County, KY 30,316 8.5%
Franklin County, TN 21,864 6.3%
Claiborne County, TN 21,410 7.7%
Decatur County, TN 21,386 10.0%
Sullivan County, TN 19,528 7.4%
Hawkins County, TN 17,064 5.5%
Davidson County, TN 16,166 5.0%
Marion County, TN 12,647 3.9%
Maury County, TN 12,256 3.1%
Hancock County, TN 11,256 7.9%
Hamblen County, TN 10,666 10.3%
Lawrence County, AL 10,502 2.7%
Warren County, TN 10,493 3.8%
Smith County, TN 10,065 5.0%
Morgan County, AL 9,698 3.0%
Union County, TN 9,281 6.5%
Cannon County, TN 9,123 5.4%
Grainger County, TN 8,516 4.7%
Williamson County, TN 8,466 2.3%
Wayne County, TN 8,262 1.8%
Jefferson County, TN 6,335 3.6%
Hamilton County, TN 5,882 1.7%
Grundy County, TN 5,528 2.4%
Madison County, AL 5,412 1.2%
Knox County, TN 5,290 1.6%
DeKalb County, AL 5,175 1.2%
Franklin County, AL 5,041 1.5%
Perry County, TN 4,565 1.7%
Blount County, TN 4,498 1.3%
Monroe County, TN 4,429 1.1%
Jackson County, AL 4,268 0.7%
Campbell County, TN 3,976 1.3%
Washington County, TN 3,723 1.8%
Cocke County, TN 3,664 1.3%
Pulaski County, KY 3,529 0.8%
Sevier County, TN 3,442 0.9%
Catoosa County, GA 2,540 2.5%
Carter County, TN 2,538 1.2%
Trousdale County, TN 2,518 3.5%
White County, TN 2,409 1.0%
Cumberland County, TN 2,350 0.5%
Putnam County, TN 2,342 0.9%
Walker County, GA 2,325 0.8%
Giles County, TN 2,266 0.6%
Loudon County, TN 1,935 1.3%
Rhea County, TN 1,519 0.7%
Sumner County, TN 1,425 0.4%
Dade County, GA 1,348 1.2%
DeKalb County, TN 1,235 0.6%
Robertson County, TN 1,200 0.4%
Bibb County, AL 1,188 0.3%
Coffee County, TN 925 0.3%
Bradley County, TN 769 0.4%
Van Buren County, TN 748 0.4%
Sequatchie County, TN 362 0.2%
Polk County, TN 359 0.1%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Talbott acres

Not limited 0%
Somewhat limited <1%
Very limited 99%
Not rated <1%
Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Talbott acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.
Show as a table
Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Talbott acres.
CategoryShare of acres
Not limited0.0%
Somewhat limited0.4%
Very limited98.7%
Not rated0.9%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Talbott acres

Depth to seasonal high water table
About 1.0 feet (12 in) (median where reported).
Flooding
Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
Slope
Typically 4–35% (median 9%).
Topsoil organic matter
Median 1.2%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained 0%
Somewhat excessively drained 0%
Well drained >99%
Moderately well drained 0%
Somewhat poorly drained 0%
Poorly drained 0%
Very poorly drained 0%
Not rated <1%
Drainage class across mapped Talbott acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.
Show as a table
Drainage class across mapped Talbott acres.
CategoryShare of acres
Excessively drained0.0%
Somewhat excessively drained0.0%
Well drained99.9%
Moderately well drained0.0%
Somewhat poorly drained0.0%
Poorly drained0.0%
Very poorly drained0.0%
Not rated0.1%

Hydrologic soil group

A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) 0%
B: moderate infiltration <1%
C: slow infiltration 89%
D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) 8%
A/D: D as is, A if drained 0%
B/D: D as is, B if drained 0%
C/D: D as is, C if drained 0%
Not rated 2%
Hydrologic soil group across mapped Talbott acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.
Show as a table
Hydrologic soil group across mapped Talbott acres.
CategoryShare of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)0.0%
B: moderate infiltration0.5%
C: slow infiltration88.8%
D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet)8.4%
A/D: D as is, A if drained0.0%
B/D: D as is, B if drained0.0%
C/D: D as is, C if drained0.0%
Not rated2.3%

Sources & data dates

Source
USDA NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO), queried through Soil Data Access. Public domain.
Data date
SSURGO as published on November 3, 2026 (most recent survey area update October 26, 2026). NRCS refreshes SSURGO each October.
Scope
All map unit components named Talbott (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 651,890 acres.
Method
Shares are by mapped acres of Talbott components. The profile comes from the single largest Talbott component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

Full narrative description: USDA Official Soil Series Description for Talbott.